ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Inflorescence

Inflorescence is a big word that means the way plants grow flowers. Think of it like a party where the flowers are the guests! Inflorescence is like the way the guests are arranged at the party.

Some plants have one big flower at the end of a stem, like a birthday cake with one big candle. Other plants have lots of smaller flowers in a cluster, like a bunch of small cupcakes.

There are many types of inflorescence such as spikes, racemes, panicles, umbels, corymbs, heads, spikes and some more types. It's kind of like different types of birthday parties, some have a lot of guests in a big room, and others have just a few guests sitting around a table.

Each plant has its own special way of growing flowers, and that's called its inflorescence. It's important because different types of inflorescence can help us tell different types of plants apart.